Barnabas
Barnabas, meaning ("Son of Encouragement" in Hebrew) was an early Christian, following ' Ascension into Heaven. He was originally named Joseph by his parents, but was called Barnabas by his fellow apostles because of his generosity and encouragement of fellow Jews to join the Faith. He was most known for being one of the first aides to . Biography Early Life Barnabas was born as Joseph in Cyprus, a member of the Acts 4:36. Joseph owned a field of land that had monetary value↑ . He was an early Christian who adhered to the leadership of the and was a brother who shared his possessions. Son of Encouragement As an early Christian he was a notable example of a believer who sold their property to be used by the Church to serve the poor and fund their ministry↑ . Joseph sold a field he owned and gave all of the proceeds to the ApostlesActs 4:37 to help the Church in their outreach and take care of the needs of the peopleActs 4:34-35. Due to his kindness, the Apostles began to give him the nickname "son of encouragement," because of how encouraging his gift was. Eventually Joseph would take up this as true name. Perhaps Barnabas was the first to sell his property and use the money to give to the church, because in the the context makes it very probable that was implying this. Barnabas became so favored a couple, claiming to be in the church and followed this example but withheld a portion of the money for themselves Acts 5:1-2. rebuked them for allowing to convince them that they owned Acts 5:3, when it belonged to . When selling his property Barnabas likely knew this very well Acts 5:4. Befriending Saul During this time the early church faced persecution from the Jewish leadership, being prosecuted by a man named Saul. Soon Saul was powerfully converted by and became a Christian. When Saul came to to preach, most of the Christians feared him Acts 9:26. Barnabas believed that Saul's faith was sincere and so brought him to the Apostles, and explained to them account of his conversion (which he evidently would've learned from Saul by conversation or Saul preached it) Acts 9:27. Preacher in Antioch Soon persecution forced believers to be scattered throughout nearby Asia Minor and many new churches planted. One of these was a church in . Many Christian men from Barnabas' home province of Cyprus began going on missions to Antioch to preach to the Greek population there Acts 11:20. The church in Jerusalem heard that God's hand was with them Acts 11:21 and so they sent Barnabas from Cyprus to Antioch Acts 11:22. When he arrived in Antioch he saw God's grace was present and encouraged the church to stay true with God in their hearts Acts 11:23. It was evident by his actions in Antioch that Barnabas was full of the Holy Spirit and had brought a great many to the LORD Acts 11:24. Eventually Barnabas traveled to Tarsus to seek out his friend Saul to assist him in his ministry Acts 11:25. When he found him he brought him back with to Antioch and so for an entire year Barnabas and Saul grew the church there Acts 11:26. While there for a year, a named Agabus predicted a famine would inflict all of the Acts 11:28. In Antioch Barnabas and his associate Saul decided to help provide supplies for the Christians in . So they gathered gifts and then Barnabas and Saul would send them to the elders of the church in Judea Acts 11:29-30. Barnabas and Saul traveled to Jerusalem and delivered the gifts they gathered, and returned to Antioch, bringing with them Acts 12:25. Called as a Missionary As Barnabas served his role as a teacher in the Church in Antioch Acts 13:1, the Holy Spirit called Barnabas and Saul apart for missionary work Acts 13:2. Being guided by the Holy Spirit, Barnabas sailed to his homeland of Cyprus Acts 13:4. He and his associates went to the town of Salamis and preached in the Jewish synagogues with Mark as their aide Acts 13:5. They also went to the town of Paphos Acts 13:6. After Paphos, Barnabas and his associates went to Pisidian Antioch. There Saul (now called Paul) spoke in a synagogue and intrigued many, which led them to be invited to speak again the next Sabbath Acts 13:42. Soon many of the Jews began to follow Barnabas and Paul, who continually encouraged them in God's grace Acts 13:43. The next Sabbath, almost the entire city gathered to here their speaking. Eventually this turned into a riot against their teachings and so Barnabas and Paul were expelled from the region Acts 13:50. Barnabas continued on to Iconium where he went as usual into Jewish synagogues, speaking effectively to lead many to believe. Despite this, many were still resistant to the Gospel he and his associate taught. Thus, Barnabas spent a considerable length in Iconium where God confirmed his message by allowing him to perform signs. Still a great many were resistant to Barnabas and Paul, planning to abuse and stone them. The missionaries found out and fled to surrounding country Acts 14:1-6. Next they preached in a city called Lystra. Here there was a crippled man that Paul healed. When the people in Lystra saw this they believed Barnabas to be the Greek god Zeus Acts 14:8-12. The Priest of Zeus brought sacrifices to offer to Barnabas and Paul. When they knew of this, the two ripped their clothes and rushed into the crowds to tell the people they were not gods Acts 14:13-17. Eventually the crowds were angered and they stoned and beat Barnabas's co-missionary. The next day he left with Paul and went to Derbe. After going through Derbe, they returned to the cities that had traveled to before and appointed elders over the churches they had started Acts 14:19-23. Then Barnabas went went through many cities preaching the Gospel. Then he returned to Antioch and gave testimony to the church of the works he had completed Acts 14:24-27. Presenter to the Church Council So Barnabas stayed in Antioch for a long time. Soon it came to pass that people came down to Antioch and taught one would have to be circumcised to be saved. Barnabas and Paul went into a strong argument with the people teaching this false idea. In order to solve the doctrinal issue, Barnabas among others were sent to Jerusalem to present his idea before the Church Council of the Apostles and Elders Acts 15:1-4; Gal 2:1-10. First the Pharisees, who taught circumcision was required for faith, presented their argument. Then Peter spoke up, offering Paul and Barnabas as key witnesses. Barnabas presented their testimony opposing circumcision for faith, by talking about the miracles performed and the Gentiles converted Acts 15:5-12. So the church sent Barnabas, Paul, Silas and Barsabbas back to Antioch with a letter explaining what had been determined. After they returned and revealed that the Church Council had recognized that circumcision was not required, Barnabas and Paul stayed and continued their church ministry Acts 15:22-35. After a while, Peter came up from Jerusalem to visit. He unwisely refused to eat with the Gentiles because he thought his Jewish friends would be offended. This decision led to confusion within the church at Antioch, with several Jews, including Barnabas, putting aside the ruling of the council. Paul stood against this hypocrisy, standing firmly upon what had been decided: Gentile Christians did not have to "become Jews." This was the very reason he and Barnabas had gone before the elders Gal 2:11-14. From this point on, things did not go well between the partners in the gospel. Split with Paul's ministry After staying in Antioch for a while, Paul told Barnabas they should return to cities they had preached in, and check in on the Church's growth there. Barnabas wanted to bring his nephew John Mark with them, but Paul disagreed because he had left them in Pamphylia. Barnabas disagreed with Paul so strongly, he parted ways with Paul. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed for his homeland of Cyprus Acts 15:36-40. Verses